Diary of a Married Groupie

Pat and I were looking foward to hearing our favorite Seattle bands again after another dry month. Although 2012 was a great year for music, we missed more shows than we hit; we were just too busy with other projects or weren’t around at the same time. I’m also currently working on another writing project, so I haven’t been motivated to write about any new shows due to time constraints. I couldn’t resist writing a little about the show at Darrell’s Tavern, though. What a fun place to see live music!

We had a busy Christmas and hosted two parties. Pat and I were ready to let off some steam and just relax. Darrell’s sounded like the place to be on a Saturday night, and it was just about 20 minutes from our house. Growing up in Shoreline, I must have driven by that little tavern a million times. It sits right next to Fred Meyer on Aurora. After moving out of the area, I never thought of checking out the music scene there. Ballard has been our place for music over the last several years.

We walked in about 8:30 and found maybe only 10 people in the tavern. It was very small, with a surprisingly small “stage,” which was really just a corner of the rectangular room. We wondered how The Swearengens would fit their giant band into that corner. Darrell’s was stuck in the 1960’s, complete with a padded, u-shaped bar and with a line of sparkly cracked glass golden globes that hung in the center. Old beer signs hung on the carpeted walls: Heidelberg, Hamms, Rainier. But the tavern was CLEAN. SPOTLESS. It felt like it had been preserved in that era. The bar padding and bar stools were pristine, with no rips or tears. There were a couple of pool tables in another corner and more seating by the front door and stage. The only thing modern about it was the unique and colorful artwork that hung along the wall by the stage. Also, the sound system was top notch, and I was later told that Scott the Sound Man was equally terrific and was well respected by the bands. The bar staff were friendly and fast. Pat browsed their selection of beers on tap, and I enjoyed a good cosmopolitan.

Around 9:00, more people arrived. The bands gathered, and Jackrabbit arranged the equipment for their opening set. We left them alone since we knew they had limited time to get ready.

P and I took our seats at the far end of the bar and just sat back and observed everyone as they walked in. Before the show began, we got to hang with some of the band. The guys and gals in the bands know us now. We’re regular stalkers–er, fans. Our discussions revolved around back injuries, MRI’s, surgery, VW bus restoration, giving birth, family doctors…you know, the usual band/groupie talk. We had some good, hearty laughs, too.

Jackrabbit opened at 9:30 sharp, and dove into several rockin’ songs before slowing it down a bit. Although the place wasn’t quite full, people were flowing in and making their way to the dance floor. The Swearengens gang showed their support and danced, and Mike Giacolino from Ole Tinder joined them. J.B. Kardong of Ole Tinder also helped out on pedal steel. My favorite dancing couple was there, too, twirling away.

Heating Up the Dance Floor

Jackrabbit, with Tony Fulgham at the helm, played songs from A Better Place and their self-titled EP as well as a couple of new ones. I enjoyed a new song with drummer Aimee Zoe on lead vocals. Another new song had a lyric I like about how it’s good to miss someone when you’re on your way home. I’ll have to get the title of that song. I’m hoping it’s on their next release. Aimee and bassist Moe Provencher were great on harmonies, as usual. Here’s a previous review of Jackrabbit: http://randomville.com/live-review-jackrabbit-and-kristen-ward-at-the-tractor-tavern/

Ole Tinder was up next. Pat talked to J.B. Kardong briefly before his show. Jay’s grandpa was an obstetrician and actually “birthed” Pat and his brothers! He was their family doctor for years.

We also struck up a conversation with two guys who came in to watch the football game, Michigan State vs. TCU. They were really nice and polite. They talked about football, told us about their interesting lives and how they ended up here from Montana: by car. Ha. One works at a salon and the other is currently in between jobs; and I really wish I could relay his hilarious story of his former position working security for a major department store, but I will keep mum about that. He had us in stitches! I hope we meet them again sometime. We had a blast talking with them. It must be the magic of Darrell’s; it felt like we’d known them a long time.

The Swearengens started around 11:30. The place was still packed! They played a long set of original music off Devil Gets Her Way including one of my favorites, “Bloody Glove” as well as some covers. Pat and I actually got out on the dance floor for a few songs! Too bad we cannot dance. We gave it a shot, though. I wanted to stay for their whole set and hang out a little longer, but knew we had to get a ride soon. We stayed as late as we could, then played it safe and taxied home before 1:00.

I posted a review of this show for No Depression.com. What a fun night! I was a little slow to post here. It’s been a busy year.

I really wanted to be cloned this weekend. So many shows, so little time and space. We chose to leave the Seattle area, though, and visit some friends in Tri-Cities. Massy Ferguson was in town and played two nights at Tagaris Winery in Richland. It turned out to be a fun outing on a wonderfully hot (for Washington) weekend. We soaked in that dry heat with the hope of saving a little warmth for the impending winter gloom and enjoyed the company of good friends and great music.

We hit the road Saturday morning, and by 9:00 the temperature already rose above 70. Over Snoqualmie Pass we could see the haze from the recent forest fire that swept over thousands of acresnorth and east of Cle Elum. As we approached Indian John Hill, we could see smoldering hillsides through the thick haze. The inside of our truck smelled like a smoky campfire.

We drove to 97 and through Yakima and on to Sunnyside. We stopped by P’s uncle and aunt’s home and had a nice visit while the boy swam in their pool. We then dropped by the Sunnyside cemetery, visited P’s parents’ headstone and said hello, swept off the recently-cut grass around the stone, adorned it with flowers, then found his grandparents’ stone and did the same. It was now in the mid-90’s and climbing.

We drove past apple orchards, their trees bowing with the weight of the growing apples. Farther south, apple orchards morphed into vineyards and vast stretches of desert. Tri-Cities spread out before us in hazy buildings, neighborhoods of houses, small trees and stoplights.

We arrived at our friends’ house in Kennewick and had a nice chat on P and D’s patio. The sky was hazy, the temperature now at 100 and holding. The dry heat felt good on my skin. We then changed and headed out to eat at a local hangout that had good pub food, great ale and hosted different bands every week. We decided not to stay for this evening’s band, as we had to get over to Tagaris in Richland to see Massy Ferguson. We promised our friends they would not be disappointed.

They later admitted they did a little “recon” mission the night before we arrived and checked out the band for a few minutes on their first night. P and D did enjoy the music, so we were all looking forward to tonight’s show.

I’ve lost track of how many times we’ve seen Massy Ferguson. I guess that’s a sign that I really like this band. Their music spans many genres from Americana, folk, twang rock, alt-country, and good ol’ rock ‘n’ roll. We always have a blast, and their frontman Ethan Anderson is bound to say at least one funny thing at each gig. He always manages to get someone on stage to help in some way with singing, dancing, or cowbell near the end of the set.

The winery crowd, although it was a relaxed and casual atmosphere, seemed to be pretty quiet. Tagaris: one of three wineries nestled closely together. Gourmet food, appetizers, happy hour specials, wines, beer, and cocktails. Covered ‘taverna’ with big screen, open to the elements. Also, air conditioned dining area. Round metal tables and chairs dotted a giant outdoor courtyard. Trees and beautiful shrubbery and flowers lined the boundaries. As the sun set, the floodlights and white Christmas-type lights set the mood for the beautiful evening. It was still in the 90’s after the sun went down, and the heat radiated from the aggregate concrete.

We met up with Ethan Anderson before the show and introduced him to our friends. We also spoke briefly with Adam Monda, lead guitarist. He was excited to know we were all Coug grads, as both Adam and Dave Goedde, the drummer, were Cougs.

Massy Ferguson opened the giant three-part set (which I believe got shoved into two extra-long sets with a quick dinner and gallons of water in between) with “Pretty Plain Jane”, a favorite off the album Hard Water. Throughout the night, they mixed songs from their three current albums as well as a bunch of new music which will be on an upcoming album scheduled for a fall release. On top of all that, they also managed to play several covers.

Although I’m currently working on a separate writing project, I wanted to at least post a few of the shows I’ve attended over the last few months. Jackrabbit, our favorite local band, kicked it up at The Tractor in October. We also saw Spokane’s Kristen Ward for the first time and fell in love. I wrote for Randomville.com. See the full review here:

After a long, dry spell of no nights out to see live music, we finally formulated a plan for Saturday, October 13. We drove into Ballard and after circling the block several times (our usual course of action) we scored a street spot in a central location. We made our way to a new establishment called Kickin’ Boot Whiskey Kitchen. The enticing smell of barbecued meats filled our nostrils as we walked down the sidewalk to the refurbished warehouse. After a relatively short wait in the bar area (we stood at a tall, slim rail with a little shelf to place our drinks), we were seated in the noisy dining area. The warehouse environment made for a loud crowd echo, but we didn’t mind it too much; we were just so glad to get out. We shared a tender pulled pork, with sides of mac ‘n’ cheese and collard greens.

We walked around the corner and up the block to Hot Cakes, a very tasty new dessert bar just a few doors down from The Sunset. We shared (we’re finding we don’t spend or eat as much if we just share meals, and we still wind up pretty dang full) a molten lava chocolate cake with caramel sauce and little toffee chunks sprinkled on a ball of vanilla ice cream. Hot Cakes’ ingredients are mostly if not all from local vendors. And just so tasty. They also served some alcoholic beverages and coffee drinks. You can also purchase some of their products in kit form and take it home and bake yourself.

Steve Martin was up to his old tricks again and played to a sold out crowd at Chateau Ste. Michelle in Woodinville. We hustled to get tickets last minute when we found our week opened up and had the time to go. We didn’t want to pass up this one because we saw Steve in 2010 and loved him. Also, I’d never seen Emmylou Harris. She’s now a part of my growing musical family tree and has played with Marshall Chapman and Will Kimbrough. Will was in her band this night, so it was a no-brainer.

I didn’t take many notes; I just wanted to enjoy the evening. I’m taking this month off from serious writing due to our crazy family summer schedule.

Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers

Steve’s set consisted of many songs from their 2010 album, The Crow. He recycled a few jokes from last time, but we still laughed heartily. In fact, a guy in front of us laughed in falsetto at every joke, and the surrounding audience members couldn’t help but join in on the infectious laughter. An example of this night’s quips from Steve:

“I am using an iPad on stage tonight to keep up on my Twitter posts. Oh, look. One is coming in now. It says, ‘Stop talking and start playing, you diKWAD!’ DiKWAD…hmm…DiKWAD…I wonder what that means…”

“This is our last song of the evening, but not to worry, there are 17 encores.”

He also had fun belittling the band, similar to the last time we saw him.

Another wonderful show, and the music was spectacular. The Steep Canyon Rangers have beautiful harmonies and work so well with Steve. A very talented bunch.

Will Kimbrough (guitar) with Emmylou Harris

Before Emmylou came on, we had a chance to talk to Will Kimbrough briefly. I hadn’t seen him since we went to Nashville last year, and Pat saw him in January with his home inspector buddies when they were in Nashville at their convention. Will never played at the winery, and I don’t think he’s been in the Seattle area since about 2005. He was in a rush to get to the stage, since they had such a limited time to get their gear set up. He was gracious enough to have a little chat with us though.

Emmylou has a new album out and kicked it up with a full band, The Red Dirt Boys. She also played covers, including a Buck Owens song; Will scorched the guitar solo on that one. Many of her songs are slower ballads or leaned toward gospel. Her voice is so ethereal and has a sadness in it. She also gave a nod to Kitty Wells, The Queen of Country, who recently passed. She felt honored to be in Kitty’s footsteps as the only girl leading an all-male band.

In the finale, Emmylou invited Steve and the Rangers onstage to have an appropriate bluegrass jam. Her two rescued doggies also joined in on the fun. Check out her website for her nonprofit dog rescue/foster program.

The Tractor hosted another sold-out show June 30th. The Swearengens and Davidson Hart Kingsbery celebrated new CD releases, and Ole Tinder opened the show to start the party. P and I had a fantastic time, once again, but decided to leave a bit early. I managed to take quite a few pics, and my full review just posted on Randomville!

We ventured out on a Tuesday night to watch The Black Crabs perform again, this time at The Sunset Tavern. P and I fell in love with the whole Rockabilly scene after our initiation at the Big Sandy show a couple of weeks ago. Tuesday isn’t the most profitable night for musicians; so we thought we’d share the love, grab some great pizza at The Sunset and at least stay through their set. The bill also included The King County Shakes, Henry Golden Boys and a guest appearance by Zoe Muth. Sorry, we’ll have to catch y’all at a later date.

Kirsten Ballweg and Tom Forster

The best part of the night came when Johnny 7 of The Black Crabs took the stage and donned his guitar for the first time since a dog bite left him unable to play. He still had pins in his pinky finger and normally wore a brace on it. After removing the brace and a quick warm-up, he was ready. Although he said it felt a little stiff at first, he dove in and managed to power through a 12-song set. It was great seeing him behind the guitar, although his “awesome dance moves” were missed. Kirsten Ballweg on bass and drummer Tom Forster had fun with vocals and solos. I wished more people had shown up, but the tiny Sunset filled in by the middle of the set.

We decided to go home right after The Black Crabs finished, knowing 5:00 am would come too soon. We said our goodbyes with promises to see them again. On the drive home, we made a quick stop at Dick’s Drive-In, shared a milkshake and savored our “bonus” night out.

Here’s the setlist:

All I Can Do

Lotta Lovin’

Black Cat Boogie

Let’s Elope

Doorknob

Smart Attack

Thirteen Times

Not Knowing

Say Mama

Sweet Sweet

Messin’

Blast Off!

The Black Crabs are playing this Saturday, June 30 at the Greenwood Car Show, so of course we’re going. P also has a friend who is showing his car. Bonus.

Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys delivered that rockabilly beat to The Tractor Tavern Friday night. Big Sandy is another branch on my musical family tree. He occasionally sings and tours with Los Straitjackets, and I happened across a few videos on LSJ’s website that featured him. Of course, when I saw that he was bringing the Fly-Rite Boys to The Tractor, I couldn’t miss it.

Wow, less than a week went by and we got to see another show! This time, we ventured out of our usual stompin’ grounds and down to Columbia City Theater on Rainier Ave. It’s a fairly new venue in a very old building, circa 1917. It used to host Vaudeville shows in its formative years, and was a prominent jazz club in the 1940’s. The old brick walls, dim lighting and high ceilings gave it a vintage feel. The beautiful, curtained stage was flanked with ornately carved wood columns.

We got in town a little early and had time to grab some savory appetizers and gelato at Tutta Bella Pizzeria directly next door to the theater. I highly recommend the meatballs and flatbread. The salted caramel gelato was pretty fantastico, too.

We then sauntered next door and waited for the show to begin. There was a bourbon bar at the entrance to the venue and a small bar inside the theater. After grabbing a bourbon special and Manny’s at the bar, we moved to the theater and sat along the wall with our own candle-lit table fairly close to the elevated stage. Several benches and small tables lined the walls, but it was mainly open to standing or dancing patrons.

Tony Fulgham of Jackrabbit

Jackrabbit, a beloved Americana band from Seattle, features Tony Fulgham on lead/vocals, Jason Montgomery on guitar/lap/pedal steel, Moe Provencher on bass and Aimee Zoe Tubbs on drums. Their first full-length album is due in September, but check out their Bandcamp site to listen to their current E.P. and purchase some tunes.

Jackrabbit L-R: Moe, Tony, Aimee, Jason

They started their 10-song set with “I Ain’t Done With You,” which got people in the door and pushing timidly toward the stage. The crowd was pretty slim for a Friday night, but more people arrived as the night progressed. It was Memorial Day Weekend, and people tend to scatter all over the state when there is a chance of nice weather. Next up was my favorite bittersweet jewel, “Throwing In The Towel” followed by “Hurricane,” and the smiling Aimee let loose on the drums. I love her audacious drumming style. Tony tried to get the quiet crowd moving and said, “I can tell you’re on your first drink!”

Moe, Aimee and Tony

Tony then picked up his acoustic guitar and played “I’m Sorry” and “Say Goodnight,” which featured sweet harmonies from the girls. The tender song picked up volume as drums and steel joined in.

A few more songs followed, including “Home Alone” –I wrote down an interesting lyric–It’s good to miss somebody/when you know you’re headed home. Next was “Around The Bend, with Jason helping out on steel. The band picked up speed with “Fathers and Sons,” and a lively cover of George Jones’ “The Race Is On,” then crossed the finish line with the rawking “Big Kids” as the crowd cheered and danced. Yeah, I’m looking forward to September and going to as many Jackrabbit shows as I can until then.

Rawking on “Big Kids”

I always enjoy discovering another new band, but find it hard to venture out of my comfort zone since I tend to latch on to my favorites. If they’re local, then that’s a bonus. We were motivated to go tonight mainly to see Jackrabbit, but felt compelled to stay for Ryan Purcell and The Last Round and see if we’d add them to our growing list of local favorites.

Ryan Purcell and the Last Round took the stage to a fairly large audience, although they were still pretty shy about pushing up to the stage and dancing. The band just released a new album entitled Pick Me Up. Ryan had quite a magnetic personality on stage. His raspy voice has been compared to many country artists, but I think he sounds like Jimmy Smith of The Gourds. He encouraged the crowd to dance and said sternly, “This music will not dance itself.”

Ryan Purcell and The Last Round

The band has a big honky-tonk sound and is made to party. Ryan is joined by his brother Evan on guitar/vocals, Peter Davidson on bass, Charley Rowan on keys (make that a double stack) and David McGraw on drums.

Evan Purcell

I enjoyed the band’s frenetic energy, skillful playing and joyful vibe. The audience responded accordingly, and long before the set was over, the music did not have to dance itself.

About

Waiting For Their Turn

My main goal is to get hundreds of pages of concert journals online and share with anyone who might be interested in reading about the joys of live music. Maybe it will motivate the reader to go out and see a live show and experience a similar positive reaction.

I’m a huge music fan. A self-proclaimed married groupie. I know a little about a lot of things on music and musicians, and I’m not a scholar of music or expert on any musical subject or musician, which might be frustrating to some of you musicophiles.

I wrote most of my journals within a couple of days of seeing a show, without many revisions. Therefore, many of them will seem unpolished or incomplete. I don’t always have all the details I’d like or the time to research, so bear with me. I’m not anal enough to write every song of every set list, or know the middle names of musicians, etc. I will try to fill in details as I go, without destroying the essence of the original journals. I’ve been keeping journals for years, and have kept just about every concert ticket and article on the bands and musicians I’ve seen. All the pictures shown, unless otherwise noted, were taken by me or my husband.

What I’m hoping to do here is to share the joy. Music, especially live music, feeds my soul.